The Tattooed Heart Began With A Piano
by Tsukishiro Dance
Summary: Rukia Kuchiki, a rising solo artist, was lacking the inspiration to write her songs. One night out will make her realize how easy it can be once you find your muse. Hers just happened to be a certain boy with orange locks and amber eyes. [IchigoxRukia. Song features are inside the story. ]


**SURPRISE! During my hiatus (and to ensure my dearest readers I haven't died or anything), I'm going to post this chapter as a preview for my possible next story I'll be making. **

**The poll is on my profile, so if you guys can (either before or after reading this), please vote! **

**Also, let me know if you guys want me to leave a YouTube link or not before the song starts or at the beginning/end of the chapters. For this I've decided to leave it at the end.**

**Enough talk, read on and enjoy!**

* * *

**The Tattooed Heart Began With A Piano  
****By Tsukishiro Dance**

She's performed countless times before, so why did being on the top steps looking down at the street crowd suddenly made her so nervous?

The December breeze embraced her body, only this time instead of shivering from the cold she felt the heat coming from the gazes of the people below her. Why were they looking at her like that, with their eyes narrowed and apathetic faces? One of them had encouraged her to come up here, was she not welcomed anymore?

And then she realized why they suddenly changed their demeanor. They weren't just waiting for her to start spouting lyrics for fun, they were waiting to see if she was truly a musician.

It was understandable though. How many untalented people have climbed there way up the Billboard charts? How many disrespectful artists won music awards they know they didn't deserve but took the title anyways? How many of them had the actual ability to compose their own songs and not hire others to do it for them?

This was a test, and she's about to fail it horribly.

"I can't do it," she turned away from the audience and faced Mizuiro, "I can't. I'm not feeling it. Nothing is…nothing is inspiring me. I'm sorry."

The boy smiled, obviously not buying it as he took his keyboard and sat down on the step below the one she was standing on. "You were walking aimlessly around here in the middle of the night? Are you saying nothing is troubling you?"

Just a boy with amber eyes and loud, fiery hair.

"If you can't start, let us start for you. We'll create the tempo and you just have to flow with it. It's easier to write the words once you have the harmony that matches your feelings. Then just let it guide you. Just like when you dance how you let the beat flow through you, let the melody guide your heart."

Rukia timidly looked away at a random spot on the ground. "But I don't do R&B. I'll be rising as a pop artist."

"Have you ever given it a try?" Mizuiro asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"I've never actually been given the opportunity." It wasn't like she had any chances to anyway. From starting out as a back-up dancer at the age of 15 and being 18 with her first solo album coming out next year, who would have had the time to try it all out?

"Well here's your chance. Go for it! What do you have to lose?"

'_My pride and image in front of these people,' _Rukia thought as she looked back at them, noticing how they were still impatiently waiting for her to begin.

"We'll begin slow," Mizuiro explained to her and the makeshift band and choir beside them, "Once you get into it, we'll pick it up. I'll start."

The raven-haired girl simply nodded and turned back to face the audience. She didn't look at them this time knowing it would only make her more apprehensive. Instead, she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and waited.

Everything that had to with Ichigo from the past two years flashed through her head like a stop-motion picture movie. All their arguments, adventures, and the times they've spent helping each other with their careers flooded through her like the blood in her veins.

He definitely made her crazy, but she welcomed it even if it annoyed her to the point where she wanted to strangle him. But she wasn't capable of hurting him to such extreme, so she just annoyed him back and continuously teased him. Especially today when she found out how much of a hopeless romantic he was when she discovered he had a tattoo of a heart on his chest.

'_What an idiot,' _she opened her eyes, and admired the glimmer of the moonlight that danced in her eyes, _'You're such a sap.'_

It was then she finally admitted to herself that she had a deep crush on her best friend.

Whatever look she had on her face at the moment gave Mizuiro the hunched to start testing a note on his keyboard. On his first try he thought it was a good note to match Rukia at the moment, and kept hitting that same one for the members to take in the sound. The choir group automatically ensemble together, snapping their fingers, and started chanting in unison to start building the melody.

And then Rukia felt it. The tingling in her fingers, the warmth on her chest, and the beating of her heart calmed her nerves entirely.

She began.

**"**_**You don't need a lot of money."**_

The choir changed their tunes slightly upon hearing her voice.

**"**_**Honey, you don't have to play no games."**_

Being into someone surely made you say words you've never said before.

**"**_**All I need is all your loving-"**_

It's not like she had a better way to describe what she wanted from him.

**"**_**-to get the blood rushing through my veins."**_

And if she did have all his affection, how would they go about it?

**"_I wanna say we're going steady,  
__Like it's 1954."_**

Okay, maybe she had a little bit of a sap in her too.

**"_No, it doesn't have to be forever,"_**

They'll be practically worlds apart from each other soon. So how would she be sure he'd never forget her?

**"_Just as long as I'm-"_**

She's what?

**"-_the name,"_**

On his Facebook relationship status?

**_"On your tattooed heart..."_**

Rukia loved the way the choir repeated her last couple words over and over again. It couldn't have been more perfect. It fit the harmony, it fit the mood, and most importantly it fit how she felt. No further words were needed at this time and she just merely let out her vocals as the chorus of the song played out.

Her eyes were closed as she swayed. She could hear the murmurs below her but couldn't distinguish what they were saying. The boy by the trashcan finally joined in the music, lightly hitting the lid of the trashcan using his drumsticks.

So she kept going on with her free-styling lyrics.

**"_You don't need to worry about making me crazy,  
__'Cause I'm way past that."_**

Ain't that the truth.

**"_And so just call me, if you want me.  
__'Cause you got me, and I'll show you-"_**

She opened her violet eyes and smiled at the ground, placing a hand over her heart.

**"**_**How much I wanna be on your tattooed heart..."**_

Rukia at this point completely lost herself into the song, allowing herself to freely think about Ichigo. As she vocalized a few non-verbal tunes, she remembered his embarrassing, flushed face at the discovery of his inked skin. She also remembered when staring at it, she couldn't help but think how much she desired her own name to be inside that heart when the male musician shyly explained the purpose behind it.

"_When I fall in love with a girl, I don't think I'd ever want to forget her. If she opens the door for me to believe, I'd want to be reminded that...love can really conquer anything. It's what my mom taught me, and if a girl can help me realize it, I'll feel closer to her in spirit. That's why-"_

**"_Just as long-"_**

"_I'll write-"_

**"_As I'm-" _**

"_her name-"_

**"_the name-"_**

"_-inside this tattooed heart."_

**"O_n your tattooed heart!  
_**_**Wrap me in your jacket, my baby!"**_

Oh yeah, she was definitely far gone in her own world.

**"**_**And lay me in your bed!"**_

Especially when she hugged and blissfully spun herself around like that.

**"**_**And kiss me underneath the moonlight!"**_

God, she really was a sap.

**"**_**Darling, let me trace the lines-"**_

With the heel of her boots, she drew a heart in the snow right beside her.

**"**_**-on your tattooed heart!"**_

Her hands pushed the imaginary wall all around her, continuously spinning again as she shut her eyes and danced. She didn't care whether or not if the street crowd were giving her looks of disapproval, or whether they liked her performance. Rukia was pretty damn proud of herself at finally being able to write her own lyrics again. Writer's block has officially been terminated.

She felt the song was near it's end. Mizuiro felt it too and waved one hand behind him to signal every participant it was almost time to finish.

Rukia, stopped moving, opened her eyes to view the pleasing audience, and sang the last line in the most softest tone.

**"_Just as long as I'm the name-"_**

And the only face she imagined in the crowd was Ichigo's face over everyone else's.

**"_-on your tattooed heart."_**

* * *

"_It's easier to write the words once you have the harmony that matches your feelings. Then just let it guide you. Just like when you dance how you let the beat flow through you, let the melody guide your heart."_

Rukia kept repeating this advice over and over again in her head as she warmed up her vocals for today's work. Ever since last night's experience with Mizuiro and his friends, she felt more confident that she could write a song today – not like she had any other choice, but now she knows it wouldn't be such a hard task. The best part about it all is that not only will she get to help herself, but Ichigo as well.

Both have a deadline to meet at the end of the week by their record company, and if they are able to pull this through it could lead a lot of open doors for them, mainly Rukia. She has never had a solo album before so this was a huge opportunity for her.

As she hit her last note, she heard the door open behind her.

"Oi midget, how's it going?" Ichigo greeted, setting down his acoustic guitar next to the piano in the room.

An irritating throb formed on Rukia's forehead. "We haven't even started and I'm already annoyed by you!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and sighed, "Let's just get started then."

* * *

"So, how do you want to do this?" Ichigo asked as he opened up his notebook and took out a pen from behind his ear, leaning against the piano, "I've wrote down a list of topics we can write about for us besides the usual lovey-dovey crap sung by duets," he flips through the pages and skims over his words, "We can-"

He was interrupted by a random key note being hit and stopped mid-sentence. Looking over his shoulder he saw that the chair in front of the piano was empty.

"The hell?"

And then the ruckus of a trashcan being hit echoed.

"What in the world are you doing?" he yelled when he spotted Rukia across the room hitting a small wastebasket by the door.

She ignored his question. "We need a beat first, baka."

"And we got people who can do that for us," Ichigo explained and crossed his arms, "We'll collaborate with them after we've written our lyrics. It's how the label wants us to work."

"Screw what they want, let's just do the whole thing ourselves!"

"And burn out until we faint? I don't think so. Remember the last time we did that? We had to cancel your shows because you couldn't wake up!"

Rukia hushed him up by placing her finger on his mouth to prevent him from further explaining what happened a year ago. "Of course I remember! That's why I have a new strategy."

The orange-haired teen raised his eyebrows. "Which is?"

Feeling the softness of his lips as he spoke, Rukia blushed and immediately turned around so that he wouldn't see her tinted cheeks.

"Well?" Ichigo impatiently pressed on. He watched closely as his best friend took a seat in front of the grand instrument and glided her delicate fingers over it.

"Just watch and listen," Rukia slightly glared at him, only to softened her eyes as she noticed how innocently curious he appeared. Damn, how did she never realize how gorgeous he was after all this time?

She cleared her throat to rid her thoughts, "I'm going to play random notes and combine them together. Once I find the ones I like, I'll just take it from there."

"You're making no sense."

"We're musicians, we don't have to make sense. We just got to make good music, it doesn't matter how we do it. We just do."

Ichigo could only grasp a little of what she was saying, but could not find himself to completely understand it. Still, they're on a time crunch and at this point almost anything can be helpful. Plus, he trusted her completely. If the raven-haired girl had a plan, best believe they somehow always worked.

Once Rukia could see she had all his attention, she began to work on her harmony.

She was feeling upbeat and jubilant, so she wanted something that would go with those emotions. As her fingers hit their first notes, she immediately shook her head.

"What was wrong with that one?" Ichigo asked, taking a seat next to her.

"I'm not feeling it," she answered, hitting a few.

"Then what are you in the mood for?"

Rukia hit some more.

"Something...cheerful I guess."

And more.

"Here, let me try then."

She nodded at his suggestion and slid over a bit to give Ichigo more room. Once he situated himself comfortably, he played.

"Hmm..."

"Try the B flat on the second one."

And he did.

"I think it can be more...merry, don't you think?"

Rukia tapped her chin, "I actually like that one a lot. Do it again."

"Really? I feel like it needs something else."

"Like words?"

"Probably. Something that isn't complicated though; it's a simple beat combo."

She got exactly what he was saying. The idea was slowly forming in her head as he kept hitting the same keys over and over again.

"Looks like you got something in mind already," Ichigo observed.

"Not so much..." Rukia admitted as she took over and hit the keys herself, "I can't exactly think of what kind of song this can be."

He groaned. "Dammit midget, I thought you were going somewhere with this!"

She said nothing and kept playing.

"Why don't you put the tune down and make it more somber? I've never pictured my best friend as the type to go with this type of flow."

Ouch. Friend-zoned much? But Rukia didn't let it show.

"Honestly, I want to make something that people would want to listen to on a daily basis. A song that makes you want to play it first thing in the morning to start an optimistic day."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "What got you in such a good mood?"

_'I'm happy to be here with you, idiot'_

Instead of speaking any part of the truth, Rukia merely shrugged. "Beats me."

"Good Kami. What's the point of your brother buying you a piano if you can't even write a song?"

"Quiet! You're ruining my concentration."

"I'll stop being such a pain in the ass once you start singing."

"Stop putting pressure on me and making it more difficult!"

"You're the one making it hard!"

"Ugh, it's not hard!" Rukia disagreed and went back to her instrument, "It's not suppose to be..."

"_Let the melody guide your heart."_

The musician had learned a lot last night about writing music, and if their was one thing she gained it would be the natural ability to do so. She's been able to compose songs before, but she had Kido. Now it's just her flying solo.

Ichigo could tell she was focusing deep within herself and couldn't help but smile. When she gets like this, the best of her talents always comes forth. Admiration wouldn't be the word to describe how he sees her.

He adores her.

Absentmindedly placing his large hand over her tiny ones, he makes them play what they were comprising before. "I think you can do something with this, but-"

The beat went a little faster this time.

"I think this sounds a lot better."

Ignoring the proximity of their bodies, Rukia blinked and sat upright. The butterflies in her stomach increased tenfold seeing his hands and hers together like this. The same warmth in her chest she had last night came back and her fingers were tingling again. It all came together suddenly.

"This is it," she whispered and smiled, "This is it!"

"Good. Now can you write a song?" Ichigo asked, retracting his hands back. He immediately missed the warmth of her smooth skin.

Rukia abruptly stood up, turned her head so that their eyes could meet. "Start for me?"

The orange-haired musician nodded, knowing full well she needed a kickstart. When key notes started, so did he.

**"_Oh, oh (oh, oh)"_**

He shrugged at the short girl, indicating he really didn't know what else to do.

**_"Oh, oh (oh, oh)"_**

But then he saw her losing herself the music right away, and decided to let her have the spotlight.

**_"Here we go..."_**

And Rukia gleefully jumped in.

**_"I could write a song on my new piano."_**

Literally.

_**"****I could sing about how love is a losing battle,"**_

Friend-zoned, anyone?

**_"Not hard, it's not hard.  
It's not hard, it's not hard.  
__It's not hard, it's not hard."_**

Rukia motioned for Ichigo to take over as she grabbed the drumsticks and dashed over to the trashcan, tapping the lid. She didn't want to lose the rhythm and decided to go with lighthearted words in the next line.

_**"**__And I could sing about cupid and a shootin_g arrow,"

To Ichigo's relief, at least it wasn't about Chappy the Rabbit.

_**"**__In the end, you'll find out_ that my heart was better-"

Not really, but we're thinking positive!

_**"Real hard, real hard.  
It's so hard, so hard.  
**__Real hard, real hard._  
_**It's that hard, it's that hard.**_

It was real hard to sing this song without ogling at the man in the room, but hey, he brings out the best in her.

**_"But I'd rather make a song they can play on the radio,  
That makes you wanna dance.  
Don't it make you wanna dance?"_**

Okay, she couldn't help but ogle. At least his back was turned and his head bobbed to the beat. It _almost_ made her giggle.

**_"But I'd rather make a song they can play on the radio,  
That makes you wanna grab your lover's hand!"_**

Ichigo was reminded of how perfect her hands fit under his.

**_"So hold up and,  
Take it through the night."_**

She danced across the room with the wastebasket until she was right in front of him.

**_"And you should follow through,  
To make it alright."_**

They locked eyes.

**_"Now grab each others' hands, get 'em up,  
I wanna see you rock to the piano-"_**

He's rocking it alright

**_"The piano."_**

Rukia couldn't think of any other words on the spot, so she repeated her lyrics.

**_"I could write a song by my new piano,  
I could sing about how love is a losing battle-"_**

She shrugged at him, but he merely grinned and continued to play.

**_"Not hard, it's not hard.  
It's not hard, it's not hard.  
It's not hard, it's not hard."_**

He just loved how she incorporated their conversation into the song.

_**"**__A_nd I could sing about cupid and his shooting arrow,  
_**In the end, you'll find out that my heart was battered-"**_

Rukia may be the one singing it, but it still felt like it was theirs.

**_"Real hard, real hard."  
It's so hard, so hard."  
Real hard, real hard.  
It's that hard, it's that hard."_**

She only changed a couple words, and it still sounded perfect.

**_"But I'd rather make a song they can play on the radio,  
That makes you wanna dance,  
Don't it make you wanna dance?"_**

Ichigo admittedly nodded, getting his shoulders into the groove now.

_**"**__But I'd rather make a song they can play on the ra_dio,  
_**That makes you wanna grab your lover's hand!"**_

He definitely wanted to grab her hand right this second.

**_"So hold up and,  
Take it through the night.  
And you should follow through,  
To make it alright.  
Now grab each others' hands, get 'em up,  
I wanna see you rock to the piano, the piano."_**

The atmosphere was definitely changing in the room, they both could feel it.

_**"**__So h_old up and,  
_**Take it through the night.  
**__**And you should follow through,  
**__**To make it alright.  
**__**Now grab each others' hands, get 'em up,  
**__**I wanna see you rock to the piano, the piano."**_

Seeing at though she repeated the verse twice, Ichigo stopped. He thought she was done, but then she kept hitting the trashcan and-

_**"**__I'd rather te_ll you about-"

Her eyes were closed and face turned upward.

_**"**__-how I'_m feeling boy."

He was drawn to her, becoming mesmerized.

_**"**__And how_ I'm doing things my way."

Here comes to her climax.

_**"**__If I got my_ piano, then I know I'd be okay, baby!"

Damn, he just digs how her voice pitches like that. Did she just say baby? Whatever, he went back to the piano again.

_**"So hold up and,  
**__Take it th_rough the night.  
_**And you should follow through,  
**__**To make it alright.  
**__**Now grab each others' hands, get 'em up,  
**__**I wanna see you rock to the piano, the piano."**_

This wasn't her usual sound, but she somehow made it work for her.

**"****So**_** hold up and,  
Take it through the night.  
And you should follow through,  
To make it alright.  
Now grab each others' hands, get 'em up,  
**__I wanna see you roc_k to the piano, the piano."

Rukia walks around the to where he was and took a seat next to him.

_**"So hold up and,  
**__Take it t_hrough the night.  
_**And you should follow through,  
**__**To make it alright.  
**__**Now grab each others' hands, get 'em up,  
**__**I wanna see you rock to the piano, the piano."**_

She stops playing her makeshift drums, opens her eyes, and stared at her best friend/crush.

_**"**__I could write_ a song by my new piano-"

And she did, with Ichigo's help.

_**"**__I co_uld sing about how love is a losing battle."

She could have, but didn't.

_**"It's not hard, it's not hard.  
******__It's not _hard, it's not hard.  
_**It's not hard, it's not hard.  
**__**It's not hard..."**_

The song came to an end, but both parties were still lost in each other. Ichigo wondered for so long what it would be like to have your partner in crime also be your other half. It's not that he never thought about Rukia in that light, they just never really had the chance to spend time together like this; doing something they both love to do together.

"Rukia," he murmured and leaned in.

However before he could get any further, she shifted away and reached for the notebook he had earlier. "So, what's next on the list?"

All his pride completely shattered.

Ichigo quickly accommodated to his usual self and cleared his throat. Damn this women for having so much power over his ego. "I have to write a hit song."

"So do I."

"What? But I thought the piano song would be it."

"I was in a girl group with enough girly singles to last me a lifetime," she shivered at the thought, "I'm over it."

"Come on, they weren't that bad..."

"But they weren't a hit."

He could tell she wanted to make something that will blow everyone away. Hell, he did too. Their musical past were similar yet entirely different. Somehow they got to meet in the middle if they want to be on each other's upcoming album.

"So then let's write a hit song," Ichigo stood up and reached for his guitar.

"What can we write about?" Rukia asked as she folded her arms, "Honestly, I'm not feeling the love thing either. Everyone's been doing it lately and if we do it, it appears as if we can't think for ourselves."

A smirk played on his lips, "If theirs anything I just learned from you, is that actually talking about it before writing it helps a lot."

"You sound like my counselor when I was in high school," Rukia pointed out and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Dammit, this is exactly like high school!"

Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle, "What? Didn't like the popular cheerleaders?"

"Or the popular kids! Good Kami, I hated them..."

"So, where are they now?" he asked, "Do you know?"

"Pbft, oh yeah. Momo told me they all basically have shit jobs."

The orange-haired teen nodded at this and tapped his chin, "So we had you, the non-popular chick-"

"Hey if I recall correctly, you used to get into gang fights all the time. You weren't exactly anybody's favorite either."

"Anyways," he really didn't want to talk about that part of his life, but if it helps this situation he might as well, "Fine, _we _weren't exactly everyone's favorite before. But now we are."

It clicked in Rukia's mind right away. "You're going somewhere with this I can tell."

His smirk came back. "We're going to show everyone just how popular we are with a popular song."

* * *

**Tattooed Heart – Ariana Grande | /DMn7nVPVU8k**

**Piano - Ariana Grande | /bNt3kK6zk9U**

**Okay folks, that was the preview! This chapter is actually longer since two more songs were in it.**

**If you guys are wondering why I chose Ariana Grande:**

**I freakin' adore her.**

**The songs greatly influenced this chapter.**

**Both Ariana and Rukia are small, tiny, cute, and yet powerful as well.**

**When leaving a review, be sure to mention what artists you're interested in seeing in what who you want to sing them! I'm going to look over these as suggestions in the future. Trust me, it will help a lot since I want to try to incorporate as much of the Bleach characters as possible.**

**Till' next time~**

✗**.-Tsukishiro Dance**


End file.
